Charles Hiram Randall
Randallc. 1908–1919
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's9th district
In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921
Preceded by	Charles W. Bell
Succeeded by	Walter F. Lineberger
Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the74th district
In office January 2, 1911 – January 6, 1913
Preceded by	William J. Hanlon
Succeeded by	Frank H. Mouser
President of the Los Angeles City Council
In office July 1, 1931 – June 30, 1933
Preceded by	Winfred J. Sanborn
Succeeded by	Howard W. Davis
Personal details
Born	(1865-07-23)July 23, 1865 Auburn, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	February 18, 1951(1951-02-18) (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Prohibition
Spouse(s)	Ethel May Stanley (1885–1931) Edith B. Leake (1932–1951)
Children	Clyde Cassels

Charles Hiram Randall (July 23, 1865 – February 18, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician inLos Angeles,California. He represented the city in the California State Assembly from 1911 to 1913 and theU.S. House of Representatives from 1915 to 1921. He was the onlyProhibition Party candidate ever elected toCongress.^[1] He also served on theLos Angeles City Council from 1925 until 1933 and as President of the City Council for his final term from 1931 to 1933. In 1926, he was the first council member to face a recall election under the present city charter.

The son of the Rev. Elias J. Randall and Sarah F. Schooley, Randall was born on July 23, 1865, inAuburn, Nebraska, where he was educated in the public schools. He published theObserver beginning in 1885 inKimball and edited a paper inHarrisburg, both in that state, and various independent weeklies, from 1885 to 1892. He worked as a postal clerk with theUnited States Railway Service, and in 1904, he moved to California, where he worked for two years for theSanta Fe Railroad and then founded theHighland Park Herald in thatLos Angeles district, which he edited until 1915.^[2]

He was married first to May E. (or Ethel May) Stanley, in November 1885. They had a daughter, Mrs. Clyde Cassels. His wife died in November 1931, and he and Edith B. Leake then married in November 1932.^[2][3]

His addresses in Los Angeles were 1263 North Mariposa Avenue (near Pico and Normandie) and then 8973 Radford Avenue,North Hollywood. His address in Pasadena was in theArroyo Seco; he was trapped there in December 1921 with flood waters on both sides before making his way back toPasadena.^[4] He was a Methodist. He died on February 18, 1951.^[2][3][5]

Randall was a member of theCalifornia State Assembly from 1911 to 1912. In 1914, he was elected to theUnited States Congress as a member of theProhibition Party. Randall won 28,097 votes (30.9%), CongressmanCharles W. Bell won 27,560 votes (30.3%), Republican Frank C. Roberts won 25,176 (27.7%), and Socialist Henry Hart won 10,084 votes (11.09%).^[6] Taking advantage of California election laws at the time, Randall was re-elected in 1916 as the nominee of the Prohibition,Democratic,Republican, andProgressive parties defeating Charles W. Bell (running as an independent candidate) by the margin of 58,826 to 33,270 (57.8% to 32.7%) with 9,661 votes for theSocialist Party candidate. On Apr 5, 1917, Randall voted against declaring war on Germany. Randall voted yes to authorize the 18th amendment and enact prohibition. Randall was re-elected by a 38,782 to 31,689 (55% to 45%) margin over a Republican in 1918. Randall voted for the 19th amendment enacting women's suffrage in Congress.^[7] Randall was defeated for re-election in 1920 byCharles F. Van de Water, by margin of 62,952 votes (60%) to 36,675 votes.

Randall ran unsuccessfully in 1922 (45,794 votes and 41%), 1924 (67,735 votes and 36% as a candidate of the Prohibition, Socialist, and Democratic parties), 1926 (61,719 votes and 38%), 1934 (18,760 votes and 14% as a Progressive), and 1940 (36,406 votes and 22% as a candidate of the Prohibition and Progressive parties).

In 1924 Randall was for a time the candidate for U.S. vice-president on theKu Klux Klan-sponsoredAmerican Party ticket. He withdrew in August in order to concentrate on a race for Congress in California on both the American and Prohibition party tickets.^[8]

He was also an independent candidate for the United States Senate from California in 1928, receiving 5% of the vote. Republican incumbentHiram Johnson was re-elected overwhelmingly with 71% of the vote and Democrat Minor Moore received 23%.

Randall was on the Park Commission 1909–11 and the Planning Commission 1911–12.^[2]

Randall was the first person to represent theLos Angeles City Council District 1 under the newcity charter of 1925. He served until 1933.

1925 Randall ran against four other candidates in the primary election and came in second. The results were: Charles T. Wardlaw, 3,106; Randall, 2,851; Edgar Lampton, 1,593; Arthur M. Fellows, 627; and Clara L. McDonald, 328. Randall was elected in the June final vote, 4,292 votes against Wardlaw's 3,719.^[9]

1926 The council member faced a recall election in September, the first in the city under the new charter, but the attempt failed by a vote of 3,901 to 2,595. Names on the ballot to succeed him in case the recall succeeded were John W. Cooke, assistant city engineer stationed in Van Nuys, and Greeley Kolts.^[10]

1927 Opposition continued before the May primary election because of Randall's handling of aSan Fernando Road improvement district, his reputed delaying of the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge project and his changing of historic street names in the Valley, the main complaint being a change from[General William Tecumseh] Sherman Way to Van Nuys Boulevard.^[11] He was elected in the primary, the votes being Randall, 4,691; John E. Lambert, who had theTimes endorsement, 2,598; Frank W. Berkshire, 1,676; and Clara L. McDonald, 233.^[12][13]

1929 Candidates in the May primary were Randall; Truitt Hughes, 44, retired lawyer and rancher, the choice of theTimes; Charles G. Young, 40, an attorney; William C. McColl, 34, purchasing agent and building engineer; and Estelle C. Holman, former employee of Randall and former member of the City Planning Commission.^[14] The primary results were Randall, 4,734; McColl, 2,247; Young, 1,346; Hughes, 1,025, and Holman, 384.^[15] In the June final, Randall won over McColl, 8,529 votes to 7,375.^[16]

1931 Randall won in the May primary, 5,856 against 3,732 for William C. McColl and 888 for Frank W. Rice.^[17]

1933 Randall came in second in the May primary. The results were:Jim Wilson, 4,958; Randall, 4,889; Mark C. Sutton, 3,653; Sterling Martin, 1,661; George C. Audet, 1,074; Ray A. Schafer, 950; George Mozee, 835; and George E. Menner, 728.^[18] In the June final, he lost by almost a 2–1 margin, 15,693 votes for Wilson to Randall's 8,375.^[19]

Randall was electedcouncil president on July 1, 1931, by a bare majority, and promptly "declared war in no uncertain terms" uponMayor Porter, threeWater and Power commissioners, the "power trust." the "patent paving trust" and the seven council members who voted against him.^[20]

1925 AngrySan Fernando Valley residents verbally attacked Randall when he withdrew funds that had been set aside for (1) paving and improvement of Canoga, Devonshire and Chatsworth Streets and (2) building a new road from the Valley throughBeverly Glen to the main part of Los Angeles. He said he wanted the adjoining property owners, not the city, to pay for the work.^[21]

1926 He was accused by Charles C. Grider, president of the First Councilmanic District Civic League, of failing to keep his campaign promises to (1) immediately construct a 40-mile stretch of Riverside Drive and a "truck speedway," (2) begin construction of a high school in the district, (3) build bridges across theLos Angeles River at Fletcher Avenue, Alessandro Street, Glendale Boulevard and Dayton Street, (4) secure "immediate removal of the Los Feliz Hospital and the dairy at the foot of Alessandro Street," (5) build a school in West Atwater and enlarge the school in East Atwater and (5) widen Glendale Boulevard, Alessandro and Riverside Drive to 100 feet.^[10]

1927 Charges were made that Randall used his official position to delay the paving of seven miles of San Fernando Road in order to have the highway graded to the same level as Radford Avenue, on which Randall owned property.^[22]

1927 Randall fought against the removal from the new five-member city Planning Commission of his secretary, Estelle C. Holman, who had been appointed by MayorGeorge Cryer but who was ruled ineligible because she had not been a member of the former 50-member commission under the old city charter.^[23]

1928 He was overruled by the council in his desire to install seven miles of ornamental lighting posts on San Fernando Road, a move that was endorsed by the Municipal Art Commission.^[24]

1931 Randall at first voted in favor of having the city attorney appeal a judge's decision ordering the city to stop the practice of segregating its swimming pools by race—a practice that had been going on since July 30, 1925. Randall had vigorously opposed the judge's ruling, stating that it was "so sweeping" that the Playground and Recreation Commission "will not be able to designate the days when Boy Scouts can go to the mountain camps. Why, the board can't even set separate days for men and women to bathe." But just the next week, he switched his vote to a new majority decision, favoring integration, which prompted Council MemberEvan Lewis—who favored the appeal—to ask the reason. Randall replied that a Negro politician had "conferred" with him and "convinced" him of his error.^[25][26][27]

Access to the Los Angeles Times links requires the use of a library card.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCharles Hiram Randall.

• United States Congress."Charles Hiram Randall (id: R000036)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Charles Hiram Randall atFind a Grave
• Join California Charles Hiram Randall

• Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council
• Members of the California State Assembly
• United States representatives from California
• People from Auburn, Nebraska
• 1924 United States vice-presidential candidates
• 1865 births
• 1951 deaths
• California Prohibitionists
• California independents
• Prohibition Party United States representatives
• Activists from Los Angeles
• Editors of California newspapers
• Editors of Nebraska newspapers
• 20th-century members of the California State Legislature
• 20th-century United States representatives

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata